HARARE: The Cricket World Cup Group A qualifiers got underway on Sunday, with West Indies and Zimbabwe emerging victorious in their opening matches against the United States and Nepal, respectively.
Two-time world champions West Indies overcame the early setback of losing their openers, Brandon King and Kyle Mayers, as they posted a total of 297 all out in 49.3 overs. Four players contributed half-centuries to the team’s score, with Johnson Charles leading the way with 66 runs. Jason Holder (56), Roston Chase (55), and skipper Shai Hope (54) also made significant contributions, while Nicholas Pooran added 43 runs. Despite Gajanand Singh’s unbeaten 101 off 109 balls for the US team, their chase fell short, and West Indies secured victory by 39 runs.
Speaking after the match, West Indies captain Holder praised Singh for his impressive batting performance, stating, “He played a really good knock to get his team close enough to our total. We have to be disciplined and we have to stay calm.”
Zimbabwe Clinch Eight-wicket Win over Nepal
In the other Group A encounter, Zimbabwe clinched an eight-wicket win over Nepal, thanks to unbeaten centuries from skipper Craig Ervine and Sean Williams in a record-breaking 164-run partnership. Chasing a challenging target of 290, Ervine scored 121 off 128 balls, including 15 fours and a six, while Williams struck a quickfire 102 off just 70 balls. Zimbabwe reached their target with 35 balls remaining, having lost only two wickets.
Earlier in the match, Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh played key innings for Nepal, scoring 99 and 66 runs, respectively, helping their team reach a total of 290 for eight wickets in 50 overs. Wellington Masakadza played a crucial role for Zimbabwe, taking both Bhurtel and Sheikh’s wickets, while Richard Ngarava claimed impressive figures of 4-43 off his nine overs.
Zimbabwe captain Ervine acknowledged the team’s slow start and missed opportunities in the field but credited the players for their resilience. Looking ahead to their next match against the Netherlands, he said, “We didn’t start really well, dropped catches cost us but credit to the guys for pulling it back. We thought that 280/290 would be chaseable because the wicket looked very nice.”
The Group B matches are scheduled for Monday, with Sri Lanka facing the United Arab Emirates and Ireland taking on Oman at Bulawayo. Out of the ten teams participating in the three-week qualifier, only two will secure a spot in the World Cup, scheduled to take place in India in October and November.
